What is the Best Carpet Choice for Kids Dogs Cats and Pets?

What is a Good Carpet Choice for Kids Dogs Cats and Pets?

Q. I am looking for a good quality carpet that can withstand children, cats, dogs and heavy traffic. I have a formal living room that you land in upon entering my house. To get to any other part of the house at that point, one needs to walk through the living room. My biggest problem is the traffic marks from the front door, across the living room and down the hallway to the bedrooms. This gets dirty fast.

Alan’s response:

A Nylon Frieze is one of the most durable and best-wearing carpet styles. There is only one type of carpet fiber that can withstand kids, pets, and heavy traffic, it’s a Nylon Frieze. Depending on how long you want your carpet to last, you need to choose accordingly. I suggest you take my free Carpet Foot Traffic Test and follow the prompts until you determine what face-weight and pile density might best meet your needs and goals.

For example: A 100% nylon frieze carpet style with a tuft twist of at least 6, a face weight of 38 to 45-oz, and a pile density of at 1800-2200 is designed to withstand 10 to 15 years of medium to heavy traffic. Frieze styles wear so well because they have a higher tuft twist and Nylon is the most durable fiber.

Smartstrand by Mohawk is another good option if you want a carpet that is easy to clean and is excellent at resisting stains. Between Nylon and Smartstrand I think that the most important thing to consider is your budget and how long you want your new carpet to last. Overall, Nylon will last longer, but Smartstrand will be a bit easier to clean. Smartstrand is also known as Triexta or PTT or Sorona and was invented by DuPont. Personally I am a fan of Nylon because it has stood the teat of time for over 70 years while Smartstrand has been around for about 10 years.